1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a turf and soil hole cutter and, more particularly, to a hole cutting device for forming and relocating holes, such as in a putting green, and including means for preventing vacuum suction from hindering removal of the soil plug from the ground.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Golf cup hole cutters of various types and construction are well known in the art. Of particular relevance to this invention is the well known and widely used lever extraction hole cutter which includes a cylindrical cutting head, an elevated T-shaped handle and a pivoting lever assembly for urging a push plate downwardly through the interior of the cylindrical cutting head to forcibly eject a soil plug from the open bottom end of the cutting head. The use and operation of conventional hole cutters of this type are accompanied by various drawbacks. In particular, an airlock or vacuum suction is often created between the bottom of the plug and the surrounding earth as the plug is withdrawn from the ground. When this happens, the soil plug may partially crumble or disintegrate, causing a portion of the soil plug to remain in the hole when the cylindrical cutting head is removed from the ground. The remaining soil from the unremoved portion of the plug must then be scooped out by hand using a small shovel or scooping tool. The need to remove the remaining portion of the soil plug from the hole by hand increases the degree of human error as well as the amount of time and labor required to perform the task of cutting and relocating holes in the putting greens of a golf course.
Once the hole is cut and the plug is removed from the ground, a cup that supports the flagstick is placed in the hole. The proper depth measured between the top edge of the cup to the top of the ground surface (i.e. the top turf putting surface) is xc2xe of an inch. If the plug is not removed intact, requiring removal of the remaining soil plug by hand, the proper hole depth is difficult to achieve. For instance, if too much soil is removed by hand, the cup that is placed in the hole will be too deep, leaving a large gap between the top edge of the cup and the turf surface. This results in poor support around the edge of the hole. Without sufficient support from the cup, the soil is prone to break apart around the top of the hole, below the turf, making the hole larger and out of shape. On the other hand, if not enough soil is removed by hand, the top of the cup will be too close to the turf surface edge surrounding the hole. This causes the golf ball to hit the top edge of the cup or a raised lip in the turf and either bounce back away from the hole or roll around the outside of the lip rather than rolling smoothly and dropping into the hole.
In an attempt to introduce air under the soil plug to prevent vacuum suction, maintenance workers using the conventional lever extraction hole cutter often move the hole cutter from side to side in order to create an airway from the top of the hole and down along the outer side of the cylindrical cutting head to the bottom of the plug. This causes the soil around the top surface edge of the hole to be pushed up, resulting in the golf ball ringing around the hole instead of rolling smoothing and dropping into the hole. Moving the hole cutter from side to side also increases the size of the hole and prevents the cup from fitting tightly into the cut hole. As a result, the cup is unable to support the flagstick properly. Moreover, when the flagstick is lifted and removed in order to putt, the loose fitting cup is often pulled out of the hole along with the flagstick.
Considering the foregoing problems associated with the use of conventional hole cutters, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a hole cutting device for forming and relocating holes and which includes means to eliminate vacuum suction below the resultant soil plug, thereby allowing the soil plug to be removed from the ground intact and without breaking or disintegrating.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hole cutter device which delivers air to the bottom of a soil plug being removed, thereby eliminating the need to move the hole cutter from side to side and allowing easy formation of a uniform diameter hole having a desired predetermined depth.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a hole cutter device for forming and relocating holes in a putting green which reduces labor and human error.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a hole cutting device for forming and relocating holes in a golf putting green which cuts and forms a uniform hole of desired depth, thereby allowing the cup to fit properly in the hole, and further allowing a golf ball to roll smoothly and drop into the hole without interference or misdirection.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a hole cutting device for putting greens which reduces the number of golfer complaints concerning irregularities and imperfections on putting greens.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a hole cutting device for golf putting greens which cuts and forms a uniform hole of desired diameter and depth, and which thereby allows a cup to be securely and accurately set within the hole at the desired depth.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a hole cutting device for golf greens which eliminates vacuum suction upon removal of a soil plug, thereby allowing holes to be cut and relocated in putting greens in wet conditions.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a hole cutting device for golf putting greens which saves time and reduces the number of tools necessary to cut and relocate holes in a putting green.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a hole cutting device for putting greens which is simple to use by less skilled maintenance workers, thereby making it easier to train new employees of a greens keeper crew on a golf course.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
The present invention is directed to a hole cutting device for forming and relocating holes in the ground includes a hollow cylindrical cutting head with a lower cutting edge surrounding an open bottom, a tubular shaft extending upwardly from the cylindrical head and a handle portion on an upper end of the shaft. Upon forcing the cutting head downwardly into the ground, utilizing handgrips on the handle portion, a push plate within the cylindrical cutting head is forced upwardly to an elevated position as the resultant turf and soil plug fills the interior of the head. An air delivery system, operable at the handle portion, injects a charge of air at the bottom of the soil plug upon removal from the ground, thereby eliminating vacuum suction and allowing the soil plug to be removed intact without breaking or disintegrating. Once the cutting head is removed from the formed hole, a hinged lever on the shaft forces the push plate downwardly towards the open end of the cutting head to eject the plug therefrom. If desired, the plug may be deposited into a previously formed hole to fill the hole.